PRESENT DAY

The shrill of the phone buzzing beside my bed was like a jackhammer in my head.

Reminder: Don’t over indulged again.

”This better be important” I grunted. It was 7 in the morning, anything better was not in my dictionary

”Tina”

I quickly sat up. Fuck. The tone I once found comfort in, now made me cringe ”Hi”

”No need for pleasantries, I was just calling to tell you to stay away from Bette. I know she came to see you and I know you told her to come home…”

I cut her off ”She told you?” I was… lack of a better word… fucking shocked

”I knew before she told me. I smelt your perfume on her clothes”

My skin crawled waiting for the verbal bashing ”Carly…”

”No! You just need to not talk right now”

”OK but I do need to tell you something” I promised myself and also my therapist that if given the chance I would come clean. Not totally clean, where it leaves Bette in a bad place but just enough ”Can I?”

”Make it quick”

”You pushed me… you pushed Bette on me” I knew starting like that wasn’t going to be good, It was a wonder she didn’t hang up right then and there ”I was fine with how things were between us, I enjoyed giving her crap but you forced this…friendship and your surprised that with all the time we spent on your wedding and your engagement that we wouldn’t become close?”

”You slept with her”

”I did and I am totally… 100 percent sorry for that but you should have seen her when you bailed that weekend because why? You had some majorly important business dinner with some rich artsy type whom you wanted to woo?”

”Bette understood”

”Bette was hurt” I corrected ”I care about her more than I ever had cared about another human being… including you” it was like I was confessing my sins ”I do and you know all that time I wanted nothing more than you to be happy, watching my best friend marry this insanely beautiful and smart woman because I knew you would make her happy.”

”Your insane,  Tina. Seriously delusional”

”Are you sure about that? You played us, Carly. The both of us. Telling Bette I had slept with your exes and all that other crazy shit, turning her against me and I was fine with that at the time because I knew you were hurt and if that’s what it was going to take for you to pass blame…go for it but Bette was caught in something that has been going on for years, your need for everyone to hate me and make you come out smelling like roses and we all know that isn’t true, is it?”